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Karon is a strong Métis woman, born and raised in Saskatoon with roots to the Red River and Chitek Lake, Saskatchewan. She is a trailblazer in her more than 40 years of working to improve the outcomes for Indigenous students and advocating for Métis-specific issues. Karon served as the Executive Director of GDI during which time she led a comprehensive review of GDI’s employee compensation in comparison to other non-Indigenous institutions. Her work ensured that GDI achieved pay equity with similarly sized Institutions in Saskatchewan. She left GDI for several years to work elsewhere and continued to advocate for better Indigenous representation in the K to 12 classrooms. Since 2004, Karon has been serving GDI as the Director of Culture & Heritage, which includes the award-winning GDI Press publishing department. Under her leadership, hundreds of Métis-specific books and learning resources have been published. During her tenure, the department team created the Virtual Métis Museum, which is the most comprehensive online database of Métis history and culture. The GDI Gallery and Museum grew from a small 8×10 room with a few artifacts to its present status under Karon’s guidance and direction. The space proudly houses the world’s largest private collection of art by Christi Belcourt and hundreds of pieces of art and artifacts showcasing Metis culture.

Karon’s new role as Cultural Advisor to GDI will allow her to focus her energy on the museum and gallery, and a variety of cultural workshops aimed at sharing Metis culture and heritage with students and the wider community. Her continued guidance and support are a gift to the Institute, for which we are deeply grateful.

“I wish to express my gratitude to the Institute for giving me the privilege of working in such a culturally affirming and career-fulfilling position. It has been my pleasure to work at GDI. I am extremely proud to work here and to have experienced the growth and finesse the Institute has acquired in its relatively short history. I have met many wonderful people while working here. I was able to grow professionally in a wide range of areas because we have a small department requires a diverse range of skills. We are fortunate to have governors and senior leaders who nurture and encourage such growth.” —Karon Shmon

Please join us in wishing Karon the best on her new chapter. Kischi Maarsii!